Car-door cleat



(No Model.)

P. B. GEOGHEGAN.

CAR DOOR CLEAT.

I Da/133,403. Patented July 29,1890

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. GEOGHEGAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-DOOR CLEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,403, dated .Tuly 29, 1890.

Application filed March ll, 1890.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. GEOGHEGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ot Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Door Cleats, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in car-door cleats employed in connection with a sliding door to lock the door in a closed position.

rlhe object of this invention is to secure all of the advantages of a cleat for securing a door in a locked position and at the same time have said cleat movable from its operative position without defacing or injuring the car, and also to have said cleat secured to the car-body, but removably locked to the sliding door in such manner thatthe door is held securely in a closed position, and that the cleatmay be swung out of the path of the door when opening the same, and, if desired, operate as a stop, limiting the movement of the sliding door in opening the same.

'lhe further objects are to provide a simple, cheap, and effective means for locking a sliding car-door in its closed position, all hereinafter described, claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in Whichm Figure l illustrates a front elevation of a car-door and cleat embodying my invention, with the car-door partly broken away to show the cleat in its operative position when locking the same, the said cleat being also shown in dotted lincs to indicate its movement in swinging and after heilig' swung' away from the door for opening the latter. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the caiadoor open and the cleat in its elevated position above the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the car-door on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures in the drawings.

A indicates a boxacar, of the usual construction, having therein an ordinary cardoor B, confined between and sliding upon the usual upper and lower traclrways C D, whereby the door is conveniently and easily closed and opened. Pivoted to the side of the car, and at a point at one side of the door Serial No. 343,472. (No model.)

When the door is in a closed position, is a cleat E, of a length somewhat less than the length of the door, but greater than the width of the door, preferably of such length that when lowered to its operative position it will project across the lower rail of the door, as shown in Fig. l, sothat whenlocled, as hereinafter described, said cleat will be opposed byand resist the stronger portions of the door. This cleat has at or near its lower end, and extending at an angle relative to its length, a catch or notched projection F, whiclnwhen the cleat is swung' downwardly against, the door, is adapted to enter a mortise G therein and be engaged and locked in its operative position to secure the door by a sliding lock-bolt II, working in a channel I in the door and terminating at its upper end in an angular bend or handle J, projecting through an elongated slot K in the door, whereby said bolt maybe raised and lowered for disengagingor engaging it with the catch of the cleat. This catch, however, may be of such a formi as to provide for locking it by means of a padlock or other means against surreptitious disengagement, or may be of any form adapting it for locking the cleat to the door. Vith the cleat pivoted as described, and preferably with its pivot concealed behind the upper trackway of the door, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l and shown in full lines in Fig. 3, it will be understood that the door has substantially its entire edge opposed by the cleat, and is therefore held immovable in its closed position, while on the other hand by swinging the cleat, as may be done, to an elevated posin tion above the door, all obstruction to open=i ing the door is wholly removed.

As shown in the drawings, the usual stopblock L may be employed for limiting the sliding movement of the door when opening it; but in practice the cleat may have, and preferably has, the additional function of limiting the sliding movement by reason of the projection therefrom of the catch F, and in this connection it should be observed that the same stop-like action may be performed by any stud or projection from'the cleat, even though said projection may not have the function of the catch shown, and this is true,

even though the catch be entirely removed IOO and some ot-her means be provided for locking the cleat against thedoor.

The advantages of my invention are obvious, both as to promoting convenience in securing a cleat in its operative position in locking the door in its ready removal and in eliminating any possibility of either defacin g or injuring either the car or the door; and, furthermore, a cleat involving my invention is always Where it is Wanted when it is Wanted, and out of the Way when it is not Wanted.

While I have described my invention in connection with and suit-ably adapted for cardoors, it is obvious that it is adapted for and p may be successfully used in connection with the sliding doors of any other structure for locking said doors in a closed position. y

Having .thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a sliding door and locking device therein, of a cleat pivoted at its upper end and provided with a catch adapted to be engaged by the locking device l of the door, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a sliding door, a cleat pivoted at its upper end and adapted for locking the door in its closed position, a

projection at or near the free end of the cleat operating as a stop, limiting the movement of the sliding door when the cleat is out of its pperative position for locking the same, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a sliding door and locking devices therein, of a cleat' pivoted at its upper end and provided with a laterallyprojecting catch adapted and arranged to operate as a stop for engaging the edge of the door When the latter is slided back and opened, and to engage the locking device thereof when the dooris closed, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a car-door, a cleat, one end of which is pivoted above and on a line outside of the vertical edge of the cardoor when in its operative position, said cleat being provided with a combined catch and stop adapted to be engaged and locked by suitable device on the cardoor and to limit the sliding movement of the door When the cleat is elevated above the same, substantially as described.

FRANK B. GEOGHEGAN. l

Vitnesses:

R. C. OMoHUNDRo, JNO. G. ELLIOTT. 

